


Hello Neighbor!

by Lachecafe



Category: Friday the 13th Series (Movies), Halloween Movies - All Media Types
Genre: Jason is full mute, Laurie and Pamela are just going to be mentioned a few times they might not actually join the story, M/M, Michael is selective mute, Semi-Crack, otherwise the story takes itself pretty seriously, this is going to be really fluffy and sweet for the most part
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-08-22 19:37:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16604246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lachecafe/pseuds/Lachecafe
Summary: What do Michael and Jason do when Halloween is over and Friday the 13th’s are months apart? Get evicted from their homes! Apparently holing up in abandoned buildings and a makeshift cabin in the woods isn’t the best long-term plan. Luckily they are able to find a rat-filled apartment complex known for turning a blind eye to sketchy behavior to spend their days in between the killing. Now everything is perfect, or- it would be. If it weren’t for the budding curiosity growing between them the longer they live near each other.





	1. Michael stares, Jason plans

Jason can’t help feeling embarrassed. 

He’d always known of Michael’s existence. Seen him on the news, admired his work. But seeing him through second-hand witnesses and blurry photos is far different then living next door to him. 

Lately it’s seemed like every time he attempts to leave his house, Michael will be there. Hand on his door, frozen. Staring at Jason with wide eyes beneath his clean white mask. Immediately retreating back into his own home with silent footsteps, slamming the door behind him.

This is all very new to Jason. He hasn’t had stable home to come back to sense his mother died, let alone neighbors. Though mother had raised him well to take care of himself and his home, the loneliness has been starting to get to him.

Back in his rickety old cabin the loneliness never got him. There was always an animal or two russling the bushes nearby or a chore that needed to be done. Now he has nothing to distract himself.

Though cheap and in no way secure, his apartment rarely needed repairs in the way his cabin had. His cabin, with it’s loose walls and hole filled roof, there was always something that could be improved. Something he could feel proud of later. He’d long since fixed everything he could in his new home. 

The first week of staying here he’d made him home beautiful, perfect in his eyes. He unboarded the windows and replaced the yellowed old glass with some brand new, clean and clear. He even bought them some blue, polkadot curtains that he’d known his mother would have loved. He’d scrubbed the floor till he could see his own swollen face staring back at him. Filled every crack and hole left in his walls by a previous tenant and painted every a room a calming shade of pastel yellow. Though he has no nice furniture to compliment the cleanliness of his home, he makes due with what he has. Arranging his too-small futon, dinner table, nearly broken TV, and shelf in a way that could be considered by a very untrained eye to be stylish.

He knows his mother would be proud of him. Knows she’d tell him if he asked her. Unfortunately he can’t ask her, having stashed her head away in a metal box at the bottom of crystal lake for safe keeping. The police had raided his cabin without warning, confiscating everything he had. Jason was lucky to have grabbed her in time and didn’t want to risk another close call in his new home. Had she been here he knows he would be far less lonely.

His mind always drifts to his neighbor.

Jason is used to fear, disgust, contempt. He’s adapted to all matter of negative emotion being directed his way. But he is never prepared for the look Michael gives him.

Awe. That’s the only word he can think of to describe it. It’s not a look of respect or recognition for his work like he himself held for Michael. It’s a look of amazement, like he cannot believe someone like Jason could exist. Could walk the ground near him and look him in the eye without fading from existence.

It always makes him feel embarrassed, in his fraying clothes and stained yellow hockey mask. He doesn’t deserve that look, not with all he’s done. What he’ll continue to do.

It reminds him of his mother if he’s honest. She always looked at him with so much love and adoration, even when he’d done nothing at all to earn it. Even when he’d done bad and they both knew it. Because she had done bad too, she knew how hard it was. Being the way he is, in the world the way it is. Jason feels like Michael must know too.

Jason thinks Michael must be bored. Lonely, maybe, just like himself. Michael only gets one day out of the year to wreak havoc on the people of Haddonfield after all. Jason gets much more than that! He guesses he does at least. Time seems to blur together outside of his special day. It could be months or years between each Friday the 13th for all he knows.

But he’s sure he sees Michael on the news far less then he sees himself, so that must mean he has less time then Jason.

He’s considered talking to Michael. Marching over to his door and introducing himself at the very least. But this is much easier said than done. Especially sense Jason can’t actually talk, outside of grunting and sign language he has no way to actually communicate with Michael. He’s fairly certain Michael can’t use sign language, having signed at him once or twice to get only a blank stare or fast retreat in response. He feels hopeless.

Jason figures it may be for the best anyway. At least until he get some better clothes, maybe clean his mask. He gets this odd urge to be presentable in front of Michael. Strange as the urge is, he tends to trust his gut. Figuring if his brain wants him to look nice in front of his neighbor then he should.

Speaking of which, he needs to get groceries. Jason shifts to take off his near shredded shirt and puts on the nice plaid button up he found hanging on a clothesline the day before. It isn’t often he happens upon clothes his size, being unnaturally massive as he is, but when it does happen he can’t help but feeling overjoyed. It’s like receiving a gift in the mail he forgot he’d ordered himself. 

Being undead, he doesn’t necessarily need food anymore but that doesn’t mean he can’t enjoy some nice home cooked meals every once and awhile. Cooking gives him an opportunity to practice his mother’s recipes. Though he doubts his food will ever come out as good as hers, mama didn’t raise him to be a quitter. 

Taking a deep breath, he opens his door. Sure enough, Michael’s there. He stares at Jason, Jason stares back, and then he retreats into his own home again. Though it could just be wishful thinking, Jason swears Michael stared longer this time. Maybe because of Jason’s new shirt?

Emboldened by this, Jason hatches a plan. He may not be prepared to directly interact with Michael, but he can leave him a gift!


	2. Michael helps, Jason cooks

Grocery shopping is always difficult. Being wanted by the law and extremely recognizable he can’t actually go into the store. 

Even if he could disguise himself, he doesn’t have any acceptable cash to use. He steals from victims pockets to attain money as often as he can but he usually leaves them too mangled to have anything to steal but suspiciously blood stained bills. His superintendent doesn’t mind, obviously used to much worse in his seedy building, but he doubts a family grocery store could turn a blind eye.

So, he lurks in the parking lot, waiting to scare people bad enough to abandon their groceries. Seeing a young mother and her baby hobble to their car with a cart full of bags, he makes his move. 

Young families are more likely to flee from him, or at the very least, less likely to put up a fight. After Tommy, Jason has learned his lesson on traumatizing kids old enough for them to want to seek vengeance. He now only goes after mothers and fathers with babies on their hips, parents protective of their new life and babies too young to even remember him.

Sure enough, the mother screams and jumps in her car with her baby leaving her full cart behind. Jason drags the cart into some bushes to take stock of his loot, pleased to find it holds a good deal of essential cooking ingredients: Bread, butter, eggs, milk, flour, etc. Plus a decent amount of snacks that were likely meant for the baby but Jason will now happily relish.

On a normal day, this would be enough for him, but his gift for Michael needs a few more ingredients. 

He peeks out from the bushes, looking for more prey. He can’t believe his luck when he sees a particular customer leave the store.

Jason makes an exception to his usual “young family” strategy when it comes to this particular young man. This 25-30-year-old brunette borderline gifts Jason his groceries, dropping his bags at his feet at the first sight of Jason and calmly entering his car before driving off. Jason’s not known to look a gift horse in the mouth, though it does make him wonder. Something about his expressive black eyes seems familiar. 

Approaching the man, Jason prepares his best intimidating roar. The brunette flinches, then turns to look at Jason blankly. He stares for a moment or two longer than usual, before dropping his groceries and driving off. Jason chalks this longer look up to his new shirt once more, making a decision to take better care of it than his other clothes.

Jason doesn’t bother to look through the bags before piling them into the cart in the bushes and heading home. He’s stolen from the brunette often enough to memorize what he buys, knowing beyond a doubt he now has everything he needs to make his gift for Michael.

Jason doesn’t have a car but that’s okay because the walk home from the grocery store is relatively short. It is for this undead, supernaturally strong murderer anyway. It is because of his gifts that carrying 20 bags of groceries up 15 flights of stairs to his apartment is also not a big deal. 

When he arrives at his door, arms filled with bags, he isn’t surprised to see Michael peeking out from his own door. Before Michael can retreat, Jason decides to take a risk. He grunts and tilts his head toward his own closed door, trying his best to communicate with his eyes he needs help. Jason doesn’t really need help but this would give him an excuse to interact with Michael a little longer.

Michael looks between Jason and the door, clearly debating. Jason’s heart sinks as Michael starts to close his door, then soars as Michael changes his mind and walks out to help Jason.  
Jason doesn’t bother locking his door when he leaves, knowing anyone must have a deathwish to steal from him, so the door opens under Michael’s surprisingly elegant hand. Jason grunts in gratitude, as Michael marches back to his own home once more, eyes lingering just a moment on Jason’s face before slamming his door.

Jason would worry that the harsh exit would have been a negative thing had it not been for the look of excitement in Michael’s eyes. Jason guesses today must have been a breakthrough for the both of them.

He gets to work on cooking Michael a meal, already formulating an excuse to give it to him: 

“Thank you for your help today Michael. I accidentally made too much of my mother’s amazing Jambalaya and wanted to give you some. It’s not as good as my mom’s but I think it’s still alright. Bye - Jason Voorhees”

Looking at his own terrible handwriting, he wishes more than anything he could talk or sign to Michael directly but this seems to be the only option as of right now. He tapes the note to the lid of the container of finished Jambalaya and opens his door.

Like always, Michael is standing there. Jason grunts and hands him the tupperware, this time being the one to retreat into his house first. He leans against the door and sighs. Jason probably could have handled that better but it still feels nice to have done something for Michael.

To his surprise, there is a knock at his door. He opens it to find Michael with the container Jason just handed him clutched tightly in his arms.

With a surprisingly scratchy and muffled voice, Michael says, “T-han-k y-ou.” Before turning and rushing into his apartment.

Now it is Jason’s turn to stare in awe, looking to Michael’s closed door like it itself had been the one to thank him. He had sworn the news had declared Michael mute, like himself, but it seems Michael’s muteness is of the selective variety. Jason can’t help but feel special, proud of himself for being one of the few people to hear Michael’s voice and makes plans to ensure he gets to hear it as much as possible in the coming weeks.


End file.
